Yondu Udonta (Earth-11584)
History "I took you in boy! Taught you right and wrong! Taught you the way things oughta be! These boys wanted to eat you, and I protected you! And this is how you repay me?!" Yondu Udonta is a Bounty Hunter, Outlaw and Self-Described Businessman who is the head of a gang known as the Ravagers. Though the Ravagers are a much larger organization than just Udonta, his sect of the group is one of the largest and most powerful. Born on a moon of Centaurius, a client state of the Kree Empire, Yondu was sold into slavery by his parents for a paltry sum, a fact that Yondu took personally once he learned of it. Yondu was raised in the slave pits of the Kree, eventually being trained as a gladiator for their amusement and sport. It is possible that Yondu was even loaned out to the Grandmaster for his Contest of Champions at one point, as Yondu's name was listed among the past champions rolecall in the Grandmaster's palace (though whether it is the same Yondu is unknown at this time.) Eventually Udonta was rescued from the slave pits of Hala and brought into the fold of the Ravager clans by a man named Stakar. Yondu joined Stakar's crew for several years, until eventually breaking off on his own and founding his own clan of Ravagers. The details surrounding this breakaway are not all known, and later dialogue from Rhomann Dey would indicate that Yondu is not on the best terms with his fellow Ravager groups. This group would engage in piracy, bounty hunting, and other morally questionable ideals (including possibly human trafficking) in and around the borders of the Nova Empire. Eventually, Yondu's group consisted of well over a hundred crewmen, several dozen ship, and a capital ship known as the Eclector. Yondu became feared for his mastery of a weapon of his homeworld known as a Yaka Arrow, which became his trademark. Eventually, Yondu and his clan was apparently hired by Peter Quill's unknown father to collect him from Earth, transporting him to an undisclosed location. Despite the difficulties with reaching Earth, Yondu was able to overcome the Veil of the Nine Realms and took a young Peter Quill just moments after his mother had died. For unknown reasons, though, Yondu decided not to deliver Peter to his father, instead raising him as his own son and training him to be a Ravager. Though Yondu would rarely show affection to the young Peter, continually telling him that the rest of the crew wanted to eat him, and that Yondu was the only reason he survived. Whether or not there is truth to this is unknown, but given Yondu's propensity for stretching the truth, it is likely apocryphal. Yondu's soft treatment of Quill (at least compared to the other Ravagers) did engender some resentment among the ranks of his crew, though ultimately nothing came of it. Eventually though Quill decided to strike out on his own, seizing his opportunity by stealing the Orb of Morag from under Yondu's nose and planning to sell it himself for a high price. However, Yondu immediately took offense to this betrayal, and threatened to kill Quill (though Kraglin, his first officer, observed it would be easier to put a bounty on Quill than retrieve him themselves). Yondu and the Ravagers waited for word that their bounty had been triggered, but at the same time kept an eye on Quill's potential sale of the Orb, eventually tracking him down to the spaceport Knowhere. There, they eventually captured Quill, along with the daughter of Thanos, Gamora. On the Ravager's capital ship, Yondu beat Quill to a bloody pulp and prepared to kill him for his betrayal. However, Peter manages to talk his way out of death again. He convinces Yondu to join with him and the Guardians of the Galaxy (a name made up on the fly) to take out Maelstrom, promising Yondu the Power Stone that was contained in the Orb of Morag. Yondu agrees and embraces Peter as a Ravager once again. Shortly thereafter, Yondu follows Quill and the rest of the Guardians into defending the planet Xandar, blowing a hole in the hull of the Dark Aster to allow the Guardians to fly into before his own fighter ship crashed. Yondu then used his Yaka arrow to take out several of Maelstrom's landing troops, before witnessing Peter and the Guardians using the Power Stone to take out the space pirate. After this, Yondu arrived demanding the Orb containing the Stone. Quill gave it to him, only for Yondu to later reveal that the Orb with the stone had been switched for another one containing a Troll doll, the Power Stone actually going to the Nova Corps. Though he admired Peter's guile and ambition, he ultimately put out another bounty, this time for the entire team of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Several months later, any goodwill that Yondu had for the Guardians appeared to be gone, as he was actively chasing them, even in violation of Nova Corps space. The group tracked the Guardians through several different spaceports, chasing them out of most habitable safe harbors where they could repair their ship. In this way, Yondu hoped to capture the group and "make them pay" for their betrayal on Xandar. This plan was short-circuited though by Rhomann Dey of the Nova Corps, who informed Yondu that the Nova Corps had officially canceled the bounty on the Guardians, and threatened to open old investigations into allegations of human trafficking, and perhaps revealing their location to other Ravager groups that might be after them. After being called away to deal with another emergency, Yondu disregarded Rhomann's advice and continued pursuing the Guardians, first heading for Earth and then finding them on the artificial satellite Counter-Earth. Yondu and the Ravagers landed on Counter-Earth, finding the Milano being taken away by the Knights of Wundagore. They stumbled across Drax the Destroyer and Baby Groot, and learned of the capture of Quill, Gamora and Rocket by the High Evolutionary. Drax correctly deduces that Yondu's anger wasn't about the betrayal on Xandar, but rather about Peter leaving the Ravagers altogether, given Yondu's feelings of Peter being like a son to him. Yondu and the Ravagers eventually agree to help Drax and Groot rescue the wayward Guardians, in exchange for money (it is never clear if they are paid or not). They storm Wundagore castle, inadvertently triggering the early release of the artificial human Adam Warlock and causing the High Evolutionary to trigger a self-destruct on the planetoid. Yondu helps Quill and Rocket finish repairs to the Milano, while his own ship and crew take off, leaving a few behind to fight off the High Evolutionary in the process. In the end, thanks to the help of Adam Warlock, the Guardians and the Ravagers depart as co-existing forces once again. Powers & Abilities * Yaka Arrow: While Yondu himself doesn't possess any superhuman abilities, he does possess a feared and unique weapon in the Yaka arrow, which was made from a material from his homeworld. Using a fin cybernetically attached to his head, he can control the arrow with his whistling. Different tones cause it to have different effects, but the primary one is the speed and strength with which the arrow can pierce through practically any material, causing near instant death. Just the threat of this arrow is enough for Yondu to get his point across. * Combat Experience: Though he doesn't speak of it much, Yondu does have experience in hand to hand combat, due to his long time as a Kree Battle Slave. There is speculation he may also have once competed in the Grandmaster's Contest of Champions, but that is conjecture. * Piloting Ability: During the Battle of Xandar, Yondu was chosen to fly alongside Quill to attack the Dark Aster directly, attempting to blow a hole in its starboard hull. This was likely due to his long experience in piloting Ravager aircraft. Weaknesses As previously stated, Yondu does not possess any superhuman abilities of his own, making his offensive capabilities primarily based on his piloting skills and his mastery of the Yaka Arrow. Without the arrow, it is likely Yondu would be easily overmatched by a more powerful opponent. He is also known to have a very quick temper, and can make rash decisions as well. There is mention that he may be on the run himself from other groups of Ravagers, according to Rhomann Dey, but this is yet unconfirmed, as are the circumstances surrounding it. Film Details Yondu appears in the following films in the Earth-11584 continuity. In all cases he is portrayed by actor Michael Rooker. * Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) * Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Category:Earth-11584 Category:Earth-11584 Characters Category:Neutral Characters